I'm Not Leaving You
by Archer 6627
Summary: After seeing Ellie again after six weeks away, Riley decides to take Ellie out to mend their relationship after the mistakes she had made. However, this trip went very wrong and now Ellie's bitten. Riley refuses to leave her behind and waits it out with her. Warning: Yuri
1. Chapter 1 - The Mall

**Last of Us Fanfiction**

**I'm Not Leaving You**

**_Summary:_** After seeing Ellie again after six weeks away, Riley decides to take Ellie out to mend their relationship after the mistakes she had made. However, this trip went very wrong and now Ellie's bitten. Riley refuses to leave her behind and waits it out with her.

**Warning: Yuri**

* * *

_Chapter 1:_

Ellie and Riley danced together on the thick glass casing of the electronics store (if you could call jumping and flailing your arms around dancing). Ellie was having a great night so far, excluding the fact that Riley told her that she was being shipped out to a different Firefly settlement in another city.

She was a mix of emotions, she was happy to be with Riley after six long weeks apart, but harrowed at the thought of perhaps never seeing her best and only friend again. Ellie had told Riley that she should go for it, this was her dream after all, to be a Firefly.

Ellie stopped dancing and suddenly grew very still, overwhelmed by her thoughts that flew around in her head. The worst thought of all was that she would be left alone. First her Mother, now this.

"Hey." Riley turned to Ellie, her smile dissolved rapidly after seeing Ellie's sorrowful state. Riley put a hand to her shoulder.

"Ellie, what's wrong?" Riley looked at Ellie with soft round eyes full of compassion.

Ellie looked up at Riley's face and met her eyes firmly. "Please don't go." She pleaded quietly, her bottom lip trembled and her eyes started to water.

Riley thought for a few seconds, then yanked the Firefly pendant from her neck and threw it across the store. This one act filled Ellie with joy and before Riley could say anything, Ellie pulled Riley close and pressed their mouths together softly. She pulled away just as quickly and Riley looked at her in stupor.

"I-I'm sorry." Ellie stuttered, abashed. She folded her arms over her chest defensively and looked away. _That was so stupid! _Ellie berated herself.

"For what?" Riley asked. Ellie looked at Riley and blushed when she saw her smile a little shyly. In that one moment, warmth flooded every fibre of Ellie's being and she beamed at Riley.

"What now?" Ellie asked, giddy with excitement but unsure of how Marlene would take this news after Riley had tried for so long to impress her.

Riley chuckled and shook her head. "We'll figure it out. But, I don't think Marlene's gonna go for it-"

Ellie's head shot to the side. "Wait." Ellie heard a noise besides the music that blared throughout the store, it was running footfalls from beyond the shelves packed with CD players. They both turned their full attention on that corner of the store.

A zombie burst out an ran at them, his eyes cold and dead, his skin pale and decayed. Ellie stumbled backwards subconsciously and Riley pulled a gun, a real gun out of somewhere and shot the bastard in his face.

"Bang!" He crumpled to the floor and stopped moving.

Suddenly a whole pack of those things now swarmed them. Riley stood tall seemingly in control of this situation. She shot a path through them and they ran out the back door of the shop and went down a maintenance corridor.

"Ellie stay close, we're gonna get out of this okay?" Riley said. She wasn't sure if Riley said this for her benefit or herself. As Ellie followed Riley though a seemingly endless labyrinth of corridors and rooms, she doubted this chase would ever end.

Riley skid over a table and kept her gun at the ready in both hands waiting for Ellie to follow. An infected lunged at Riley while she covered Ellie. Riley bucked against the husk but it held strong. Ellie flicked her switch blade and leaped on it's back.

Ellie dove the blade into it's neck four times until it toppled to the floor. Ellie rose, covered in blood. "Thanks." Riley said breathlessly. "Let's go."

They kept going until infected were running towards them from in front and behind. "Shit!" Riley looked around feverishly.

Ellie's heart threatened to break out of her ribcage. "They're getting closer!"

"Jesus... Follow me!" Riley jumped off the railing and landed with a smooth roll on some scaffolding. Ellie followed suit as Riley led the way. She tried her very best to block out the noises the infected were making, their rasping breath and groans were very off-putting.

_Just keep going, don't look behind and don't look below. _She told herself.

"There's an open window! Come on!" She called.

Ellie was on the verge of having a panic attack, now the infected's horrific orchestra of wails were louder than her startled breath and the rushing of blood in her body. They had to be right behind her.

Riley reached the wall where the open window taunted them, their escape was so close. She climbed even higher on the scaffolding. The last bit was taller than the rest with metal rungs that Ellie used to climb up.

Riley was at the window and knelt down from the window ledge. "Reach up Ellie, I've got you!"

Ellie stretched her hand out and was mere inches away from Riley's. The scaffolding tipped and she fell backwards. "Oh God!" Ellie screamed.

Ellie landed hard on the lower scaffolding and tumbled down to the ground. She grunted as her side made contact with the ground, her eyes were clamped shut in response to the pain that shot through her body. "Ellie look out!"

The sound of a gun firing filled the room. Once, twice, three times. After a few more rounds, Ellie's blood turned to ice and her heart pounded. Riley had to reload.

She finally had the courage to open her eyes as the room was a lot quieter. Still, she did not like what she saw. Two infected sprinted at her. Ellie's switch blade had fallen out of her hand and slid across the floor out of reach.

Ellie tried desperately to drag herself away, but her body was sluggish and unresponsive after her long sprint. "Fuck!"

"Bang!" One hit the tiled ground face first and a pool of blood leaked out from the wound.

Unfortunately, the other jumped at Ellie, sensing easy prey. It landed on her and Ellie was horrified. She used her hands to push at it's shoulders. It looked at her with empty eyes. It mashed it's teeth at her hungrily and clawed at her with his hands. It's shaggy black hair was tangled with dirt and blood.

For a dead person, it had a lot of strength. Ellie's arms were lead and the zombie was winning this battle. She cried out as it bit her forearm.

"Riley!" She begged.

"Bang!" The infected fell to the side and blood spurted out of it's neck. Ellie looked to her right and saw Riley on the ground with her.

The zombie was still groaning and spluttering. Ellie grabbed her weapon and stabbed the creature in the eye several times. "You bastard! You fucking-" Riley's warm arm touched Ellie's and calmed her down. "It's dead, we're safe."

Ellie turned to Riley with tear-stained eyes. "Ellie?"

She showed her the bite. Riley stared in disbelief. She looked devastated. "Oh fuck..." Riley sat on the ground and brought her legs to her chest. "Fuck! This is my fault! If I just... I was at the wrong angle, I couldn't shoot him without risking shooting you." She explained.

"Riley, you did all you could. You saved me like, ten times." Ellie said softly. She looked at the bite as fresh blood poured from it.

"Still, I could've- done something, I don't know!"

Then it dawned on Ellie. "I- I have two days, right?"

Riley looked up at Ellie sorrowfully. "Yeah, maybe less. Could be two days or two minutes." She shrugged.

"You should go." Ellie said softly. Riley looked at Ellie as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"What?"

"I don't want to turn and hurt you. If I did..." Ellie clenched her fists. "I just can't think about that."

Riley stood and stepped close to Ellie, even though Ellie was hesitant to get this close. "I don't care about that." She shook her head. "There are a million ways we could've died before today and a million ways we could die before tomorrow."

Riley continued. "We should fight for every second we get to spend with each other. I'm not going to let you die on your own."

Riley looked at Ellie with a fierce determination in her eyes that she loved to see. Ellie knew that once Riley had made up her mind, there was no way to stop her. "I'm not going to leave you Ellie."

She kissed Ellie on the cheek lightly. Cordyceps was transmitted through bodily fluids such as saliva so Ellie was pleased that it was not a full on kiss (as much as she wanted it to have been).

"Not now, not ever."

* * *

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Ellie smashed some old pots with a rusty iron pipe. After only small shards remained, she dropped down next to Riley.

"Feeling any better? If not there's more stuff over there you can break." She said jovially. Ellie smiled despite her bleak looking future. Riley was still trying to make her laugh, even in a time like this.

"A little." Her voice was still hoarse from crying earlier. Ellie glimpsed at her bite that was now cleaned, stitched and bandaged by Riley. They had cleaned themselves, changed clothes and retrieved their backpacks from the now vacant store and searched for more things to do.

It was now the day after Ellie was bitten and the sun was beginning to set. The sky was a beautiful orange and the towering buildings of the Boston quarantine zone cast long shadows. The city seemed miles away, like they were in a completely different world. It was a lovely sight and she enjoyed sharing it with Riley.

"So..." Ellie said. "Are you up for another round of puns?" Ellie waved the pun book tauntingly.

"Sure." Riley grinned. "Hit me."

Ellie smirked, opened the book to where they left off and cleared her throat. "I used to have a fear of hurdles, but I got over it."

"Ha, I get it." Riley said with a chuckle.

"Don't trust people that do acupuncture, they're back stabbers." Ellie laughed and nodded in agreement.

"When Peter Pan punches, they Neverland... I don't get it, did he just have bad aim?" Ellie asked. "He must do." She replied.

"I used to be addicted to soap, but I'm clean now." They both laughed.

"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana." Riley looked confused, then a look of clarity passed her features. "Oh! Fruit, banana, yep I get it."

"Okay last one. Sleeping comes so naturally to me, I could do it with my eyes closed."

Ellie smirked. "Some of these are so lame."

"Well yeah, but they're still awesome!" Riley argued.

"Totally." She agreed. She put the book back in her backpack and sighed.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly.

"Riley, I'm scared." Riley placed her hand on Ellie's and brushed her thumb over Ellie's skin.

"Death happens to all of us Ellie, it's a natural thing. I know that probably doesn't make you feel any better but at least you won't be in this hell hole of a world anymore."

Ellie leaned into Riley and Riley wrapped her arms around her. Ellie's head was in the crook of Riley's neck as she looked out at the sky and it's new streaks of dark blue.

"You know how I thought I'd go?" Riley asked. She felt Ellie's gaze on her, waiting for her to continue. "I would be burning down packs of zombies with a flamethrower, or maybe a tank! Hell yes, that would be awesome." She nodded as if to complement her own statement.

"Well maybe you could still do that." Ellie said evenly. Riley looked at her with soft dark eyes, tinged with sadness. "You know that won't happen."

"Riley-"

"Ellie, please." She said firmly. "I've made up my mind. I can deal with this, at least I'll be with you. It could be a lot worse." She reasoned.

Ellie felt her cheeks burn and failed to hold back her smile. "Riley, I love-"

"I know, but please don't say it, it's like you're saying your last words." She kissed Ellie on the forehead.

"You know I'm terrible with goodbyes." She said sadly.

"I forgive you for that. We're good, we're better than good."

They spent the rest of the evening with each other and watched the sun set and the moon rise. Ellie's eyes were heavy and although at this time she was calm, collected and loved in Riley's arms, she was very aware that she may never wake up.

"Goodnight Ellie."

"Goodnight Riley."

* * *

Ellie woke up and found that she was using her rucksack as a pillow. She covered her eyes lethargically to shield them from the bright light that shone through the open windows. The sun was high in the sky and she sat up and found that Riley was gone.

Fear clutched at her heart like a stone sinking at the bottom of a river. "Riley?" She called.

Silence. She started to worry. _Riley wouldn't leave me._

"Yeah, I'm here." Riley walked out of a food store with some canned peaches in her hand. Ellie was relieved.

She grinned. "Where did you get those?"

"In there." She gestured to where she had come from. "There's lots of canned food and luckily some can openers too. I don't think this part of the mall has had many looters considering it's a restricted area full of infected. Or, was." She corrected.

Riley sat cross-legged on the tiled floor and set the can down between them. "Help yourself, I've got more in my pack."

"Thanks." As they ate, Ellie thought it was weird how blades of grass sprouted through the floor or how vines covered the ceiling. She guessed it was because of the twenty odd years of neglect. All buildings were like this now. Ellie wondered as she often did about what the world was like before the pandemic.

Riley seemed very relaxed considering the circumstances. Seemingly without a care in the world. "How are you feeling?" She asked as she put a slice of peach into her mouth and chewed.

"Pretty good actually. Just a little tired."

"Hmm." Riley looked deep in thought.

"What are you thinking?" Ellie asked.

She paused for a second. "You're immune."

Ellie was speechless. "That's impossible." She said eventually.

"Is it? You're still eating and drinking normally, you haven't got a fever, you're not pale and the bite hasn't spread across your arm." She said matter-of-factly.

She crossed her arms resolutely and smiled. "This is supposed to be your last day and you're feeling fine. You look well enough." She added.

"Well yeah, I guess." What Riley was saying was totally true, but that wasn't the way things were. You got bitten and you died. That was a fact of life.

"The Fireflies are looking for a cure, this is it Ellie!" She said excitedly. "They could make a vaccine or something, no more zombies. Can you imagine?"

"I know what you're saying Riley, but this is just really hard to believe."

"We should go to Marlene and tell her, we'll see what happens after that. This is a one in a million chance to make a difference." Riley said, completely convinced.

"If Marlene knew I was infected, I would be shot on sight." Ellie said bluntly.

"I doubt she would turn down a chance at a cure. I would vouch for you, she'd probably watch you for a little while just to make sure you weren't gonna turn. You'll be fine, I know it." Riley said confidently.

Ellie sighed. "What have I got to loose? Lead the way."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I've been wanting to write a fanfic about Ellie and Riley since the Left Behind DLC was released. I thought now would be a better time than ever so... Here it is.**

**Now the way I see it, there are two ways to go from here. There's the 'easy way' where I can just leave it to your imagination and not write any more or, I could continue writing and rewrite the events of 'The Last of Us' with Riley tailored into the story (so obviously quite a few events would happen differently).**

**So please let me know what you think, should I keep going or stop? Is there anything I can do better next time?**


	2. Chapter 2 - Boston

_Chapter 2: Boston Quarantine Zone_

Ellie sat on a plain bed in a small concrete cell. There was nothing remarkable about it, there was no wallpaper or carpet. She knew this room wasn't for comfort, it was for euthanasia. The dead or dying don't really care about luxury.

Ellie wasn't sure what she found more unsettling, the dried bloodstains on the wall, the large cobwebs that spanned the ceiling, or the messages scratched into the wall such as: 'Help me'. Obviously, this place did not get cleaned very often.

To try and keep her sanity, Ellie thought of more positive things. What Riley said about her being immune started to be more believable. It felt like she had been in this prison for weeks. There were no windows or working clocks (there rarely was nowadays anyway) so there was no sign of time passing. She could've been in there for ten minutes, though she knew this wasn't true.

A Firefly came to slide a meal and a water bottle under the door at times. She just had to slide the tray back under and it would be quickly picked up and replaced later. That was how they knew she was still alive.

Ellie still had her bag and her belongings, the Fireflies didn't bother to take Ellie's possessions away from her because of the risk of infection.

When the two of them arrived back at the Fireflies' base of operations, Marlene immediately knew something was amiss before either of them said anything. She had Fireflies armed with guns on them faster than you could snap your fingers.

Riley explained the whole situation to Marlene who listened intently, nodding along when necessary. She agreed that if Ellie was bitten when Riley said that Ellie shouldn't be here or be capable of coherent thought.

They were both tested for a live infection by placing a device in their ears. A few seconds later it beeped and gave the verdict.

Riley was clean, Ellie was not.

Marlene then explained very calmly (it may have been the five guns trained on Ellie that would most likely fire if she so much as scratched her nose) that Ellie would be placed under observation. She would have no human contact until she was deemed safe.

Ellie then had the choice: Fight back and get shot from various angles, or comply and risk going completely insane from lack of human interaction.

Riley looked at her with a small smile that said: _Everything's going to be alright. Trust me._

Ellie was shortly marched out of the room by two Fireflies that walked behind her, obviously they were armed to the teeth too.

And now here she was. Ellie lay back on her pillow and blew out a puff of air, bored out of her mind. _But at least I'm alive. _She told herself. She dared not to speak out loud in case schizophrenia was a sign of the CBI taking over the brain. If she did, she risked a bullet to the head.

Ellie rummaged through her bag and found various belongings: Pun book 1 and 2 from Riley, her Walkman with the tape Riley gave her and Riley's Firefly pendant she collected from the store. _Wow, most of my stuff is from Riley, I never thought about it until now._

She also found her switch blade that she kept well hidden in her bag in case they didn't know she had it. Ellie remembered that this was her Mother's originally and cherished it from the day Marlene gave it to her.

Last but definitely not least, one of Ellie's most prized possessions. The letter from her Mother that she wrote before she died. It was covered in bloodstains and hastily scribbled writing which made her wonder what conditions Anna wrote it in.

Ellie shuddered. _Maybe it's best not to know. _The letter detailed how Anna loved her and wished she could have been there to see her grow up. It warned Ellie that life wouldn't be easy but she would eventually find something to fight for. Then finally it ended: 'I know you'll turn out the woman you're meant to be. Make me proud Ellie!'

Ellie sighed. _I'll try to make you proud._

She put the letter away and picked up Riley's tag. It was covered in bloody fingerprints from when she reclaimed it from the store before she had washed.

_Oh Riley... We really fucked up this time. _The two of them previously left Military school after curfew on a biweekly basis and met with Winston in the mall. He kept to himself mostly and looked ragged, but he was a softie to Riley even though he'd never admit it. He taught Ellie how to ride a horse. Although those days were now in the past. Winston passed away recently and his horse was taken by the military.

Ellie remembered the first time she went out with Riley and met Winston. She went riding just around the main floor. Riley had stolen a radio from Winston and used it to get details on where the Military had last seen Fireflies. That night was how they first met Marlene and her first encounter with the infected.

_We got in some serious shit back then. I guess we still do. _Going out with Riley was exhilarating, Riley promised action and adventure. But she was also a good listener and had her own share of issues that she trusted Ellie with.

Ellie held the tag tightly as if it would slip through her fingers. She loved Riley, all of her talents and flaws because Riley was always there for her. A_t least until she ran away to be a Firefly anyway._

Then Ellie thought about the sequence of events at the mall. Sure, the last three days were terrifying because she was expecting to reanimate and take a bite out of her best friend at any second, but before that, Ellie had had the most fun she could ever remember having.

She blushed at the memory of kissing Riley. She felt happy, blissful even. Riley didn't pull away or stop her and she felt relieved, as if some weight had been taken off her chest. Then the fucking asshole infected had to show up and ruin the moment.

Ellie didn't understand why Riley made her feel this way, she just felt... Safe when she was around her. Even when the horde chased them, with Riley leading her she believed they would get away untouched.

The heavy iron door groaned and swung open on it's hinges. Ellie sat up and saw a Firefly soldier. He didn't have his gun pointed at her, which she took as a very good sign, but he was visibly armed with a pistol strapped to his thigh.

The soldier beckoned to Ellie. "Follow me." He said simply.

Ellie shrugged on her rucksack and walked out of the room. _Finally._

* * *

In the drawing room, Marlene sat looking at a large map, rubbing her temples. She had large dark circles under her eyes and her shoulders sagged slightly, giving the impression she was very tired. _I guess being leader of a rebellion will do that to someone._ This room was stockpiled with various guns and ammunition crates. Desks were pushed to the corners of the room to allow for more space to move around in. Wanted posters littered the walls to try and cover up the FEDRA (Federal disaster response agency) insignia.

Marlene was staring at the map as if she could find the answer to all her problems just by staring at it long enough. It looked like a detailed map of the US with certain points covered with big red crosses.

Marlene looked up at Ellie's arrival and nodded at the soldier who then disappeared out of the room. Marlene stretched her arms out and stood. "I guess Riley was right after all. You have to understand Ellie, we had to be sure. You've been in there for a week, we thought that was long enough."

That wasn't important to Ellie right now. "Where's Riley?" Ellie looked around as if expecting Riley to come out of the floorboards shouting 'Surprise!'

Marlene's face was one of complete blankness, she was extremely hard to read when she wanted to be. She turned around. "Riley!" She called.

Out of the back office Riley emerged. She looked at Marlene as if to ask: 'What?' But then she saw Ellie and her eyes shone. Riley beamed from ear to ear and walked to Ellie.

Ellie's heart felt lighter in her chest and a familiar feeling of warmth radiated through her. She smiled back.

Then she came to her senses. Ellie stumbled back, to which Riley looked hurt. "I'm infected, I don't want to hurt you." She explained.

"If you were, you would have turned by now." Marlene said bluntly. "However, you need to head down to the labs for testing just to make sure you can't transmit the fungal infection to any uninfected first. Then we'll talk."

"Riley, can I trust you to escort her there? I need to find a smuggler who owes me a shipment of guns. Otherwise I'd do it myself."

"Whatever you say Queen Bee." Riley responded.

Marlene quirked an eyebrow at the nickname but said nothing. Riley took that was their cue to leave. "Come on Ellie." She brought an arm around Ellie's shoulders and guided her out of the room.

**2 weeks later**

Joel and Tess took cover behind the door frame. "Give us our guns Robert!" Tess shouted. "This is your last chance!"

Robert's response was firing a whole clip into the wall that Tess was hiding behind.

"Click. Click. Click." His gun was empty. The sound of a gun hitting the floor echoed throughout the room. "Fuck this." Robert said and ran outside.

"He is not getting away." Tess growled. She sprinted after him and Joel followed suit.

Tess jumped through the shattered window and chased Robert down the alley. Joel chose a different route to try and cut him off.

After following a number of twists and turns Joel ended up in an open space. He heard heavy panting and footsteps then the rattling of chains. He followed the noises to see Robert struggling against a locked chain gate.

He looked as startled as a deer caught in headlights and ran past Joel. Joel wasn't the least bit worried, he had done what he needed to.

As planned, Robert had ran straight in front of Tess and was now backing away slowly, spewing out excuses to Tess.

"Hello Robert." Tess said calmly as she approached.

"Tess, Joel. No hard feelin's right?"

"None at all." Tess reached down and grabbed a metal pipe. Robert chuckled uneasily and made a sprint for it. Unluckily for him, Tess was quicker and smashed the pipe against his kneecap.

He wailed out in pain and dropped to the ground. Tess dropped the pipe and it clattered to the floor.

"Hey, hey! I jus' wanna say, whatever you heard, it ain't true alright?" He said quickly.

Tess paced around him like a lion waiting to pounce. "Where are our guns?" She asked coldly.

Joel walked over to Robert cowering on the concrete. "Jus', jus' hear me out on this-" Joel kicked him hard in the face. He whimpered and made noises that varied from whines to cries.

"Start makin' sense." Joel muttered. He bent down leisurely and held Robert's arm in a way that he could break it easily if he wished.

"Stop, stop, stop!" Robert pleaded, blood poured out of his nose and he looked at the smugglers through squinted eyes.

"Stop squirming." Tess commanded.

Robert spoke a lot clearer now, but no less hurried. "I- I don't have them. I sold them." He cried.

Tess looked Robert in the eye. "Excuse me?" She asked, incredulous.

"I... I had no choice, I owed the Fireflies!"

"Well I think you bet on the wrong horse." Tess said evenly.

"Please, just give me a week! I'll get 'em back, plus interest!" He begged.

"Y'know, I might of done that if you hadn't tried to fucking kill me." Tess said sharply.

"The- the Fireflies, they're basically all dead. We could go in there, get your guns back. Finish 'em off, fuck the Fireflies!" He said confident that his plan was a good one, that he had weaselled his way out of another hard place.

Joel looked at Tess and stood. "That is a stupid idea." With that, she shot Robert twice in the head.

"Now what?" Joel asked tiredly.

"We go find a Firefly."

"You won't have to look very far." They both turned and saw a figure limp towards them from the shadows, they recognised the face from so many wanted posters.

It was Marlene, leader of the Fireflies. "Where's Robert?" She asked.

Tess gestured to his corpse on the ground, a look of utter fear plastered on his features. Marlene sighed deeply. "I needed him alive."

"Look, the guns he gave you, they weren't his to sell." Tess responded.

"I paid for those guns, you want them back? You're gonna have to earn them."

Tess looked sceptical and exchanged a glance with Joel. "What'd you have in mind?"

"I need something smuggled out of the city. You do this, you'll get your guns back and more."

"How do we know you got the guns?" Joel asked.

"Come with me. I'll lead you the safehouse, get patched up and show you the guns. What's it gonna be?" Marlene asked.

Somewhere close by a door was kicked down and FEDRA units could be heard. "Search the area, she's nearby!"

"Let's go Joel, I wanna see those guns."

"Place is just up ahead." Marlene said as she walked, clutching her wound.

A voice could be heard over speakers: "Attention. Curfew is now in full effect, anyone found outside without proper authorisation will be arrested and prosecuted..." The woman's dull voice said that every day, any regular residents could repeat her speech in their sleep. Joel tried to zone it out.

The three of them walked through a house that was pitch black. The smugglers turned the lights on their packs on to dimly illuminate the area. They walked up a flight of stairs that creaked under their weight.

The upper floor was cluttered with empty shelves and cupboards and was just as dark. Marlene had reached a door that had light shining through it's window. "It's just in here." Marlene said.

Upon opening the door, Marlene fell to her hands and knees. "Hey now, come on up." Joel helped her to her feet.

"Get the fuck away from her!" Tess intercepted the teenage girl mid-strike and grabbed her wrist that held a switch blade.

"Let her go." Marlene had a gravity to her, so much so that everyone obeyed. Ellie stopped struggling and sheathed her weapon. Tess released her from her grip.

"My God Queen Bee, what happened to you?" Riley approached Marlene and surveyed her wound.

"Don't worry about them, I got us help."

"You're recruiting kinda young aren't ya?" Joel stated.

"They aren't mine. Not anymore." Marlene said. She was breathing heavily. "I won't be able to come with you Ellie."

"Hey, I'm coming too." Riley said adamantly. "I'm not leaving Ellie."

"Wait a minute, they're the cargo?" Joel said shocked.

"There's a crew of Fireflies that'll meet you at the capitol building."

Tess scoffed. "That's not exactly close."

"You're capable. You hand the girls off, come back and the weapons are yours, double what Robert sold me."

"I'm not smuggling shit until I see those guns." Tess said brusquely.

"Fine. Come with me to the Firefly camp. I'll get patched up and you can see your guns. But they're not passing into that part of town. Joel will take them somewhere safe." Marlene inclined her head to the teens.

"I don't think-" Joel interjected.

"Bullshit I'm not-" Ellie started.

"Enough." Marlene said, raising her voice an octave. "That's the deal, take it or leave it."

"Ellie, this could be our only chance." Riley stated. Riley was right. Ellie knew this.

"How do you know we can trust them?" Riley asked.

"I was close with Joel's brother Tommy. He said if I ever needed help I could rely on him."

"And was that before or after he left your group?" Joel asked.

"He left you too." She stated simply.

"Joel just, take them to the north tunnel and meet me there okay? I'll be as quick as I can." Tess said softly.

"Jesus Christ..."

"It's just cargo, like any other job." Tess said.

"Marlene..." Ellie whispered.

"This is not up for debate. We talked about this before. You'll be fine, just look out for each other you two. You've been through worse together." She smiled wanly.

"...Okay Queen Bee. Good luck." Riley looked saddened to leave Marlene. Ellie knew she was giving up her dream for her and risking her life just to protect her.

"Riley, just for the record. You would have made a great Firefly." She smiled.

"Thanks. Maybe after all this is over, I can come back."

"I hope so." Although Marlene would not meet their eyes, perhaps she was scared of trusting them with strangers, maybe she actually in some small way cared for them. In any case, they couldn't stay to find out.

"C'mon kids. We're wasting time. Patrols will be out soon." After one last look at Marlene, the two of them left with Joel.

"Wouldn't it be easier just to escort one of them?" Tess asked once the others were gone.

"I tried, but those two are inseparable, you don't know the headache I would've gotten if I made Riley stay."

"So they're close?"

"Very." Marlene said with a sly smirk.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hey guys, I just wanted to apologise for making you wait so long for me to update. This year's been very busy for me and I've not had much time to write. I just wanted to say that yes, I do have plans to finish this story and I will at some point. Unfortunately, I can't give you guys any specific time as to when I'll update again. It could be a while but that is only because I don't want to rush this and I have a lot to deal with right now.**

**Also, I just wanted to thank everyone for the support I have received for my last chapter, it's helped me out a lot. **

**I've kept you long enough, so I'll see you all next time.**


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